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The feature story is a potent and vital form of literary non-fiction. Here, Anthony Cockerill charts its evolution through the years. Of all the different ways to tell stories, the feature article is one of the most compelling, especially when it's in the right hands. It's a mainstay of contemporary journalism: a set-piece at the … Continue reading The indispensable guide to what makes a great feature story→

Essential advice that draws on examiners' reports, past papers and students' responses, with some great downloadable texts and helpful resources. 1. Encourage your students to explore deeper layers of meaning. 'Some [students] offered a basic, generic comment, for example, ‘it creates a picture in our heads’, which could apply to any example of language in … Continue reading Teach your students to ace AQA’s GCSE English Language P1, Q2→

Essential advice on how to craft a great English literature essay at university - and how to avoid rookie mistakes. If you've just begun to study English literature at university, the prospect of writing that first essay can be daunting. Tutors will likely offer little in the way of assistance in the process of planning … Continue reading How to write great English literature essays at university→

We used to call her The Stick Insect. It was cruel but completely appropriate. She had a tall, awkward, brittle body. When she walked, it seemed like she might snap or be blown away by a strong gust of wind. Her face was pale and cratered, puckered like pink polypi. Her cheekbones were misaligned, eyes … Continue reading ‘The Stick Insect’→

It was a place of frustrated ambitions, low aspirations and barely suppressed cruelty. It was a despondent place. The urinals were old and cracked, heavy with the smell of ammonia and disinfectant blocks. The tiles were dirty; soaked paper towels had been compacted and thrown at the ceiling. The stalls had doors with large … Continue reading ‘Vantage Point’→

What would happened if the students were part of a collaborative planning process when attempting to form a successful answer? There are some notable challenges in preparing students to respond to AQA's GCSE English Language, Paper Two, Question Two. The question essentially asks students to synthesise evidence - ideas, information, textual detail - from two … Continue reading Some great suggestions for GCSE English Language, Paper 2, Question 2→

My Year Eight class and I have recently read Robert Swindells' novel Brother in the Land, which has regained much of its potency given the nuclear posturing of various nations recently. It is a great novel to teach and which the students love to read. Writing in The Guardian a few years ago, Owen Jones praised its … Continue reading How can we re-imagine a novel as a film?→

Could playing creatively with narrative perspective help our students to grow in confidence as writers, cultivating more confidence, control and awareness of voice when they write? Almost definitely, as playing creatively has a tendency to boost confidence and foster a sense of discovery. During our 'Writing From The Outside' scheme of learning - which forms part … Continue reading What Happens When We Tell Stories From Different Points Of View?→

The PEE paragraph and its errant siblings PEEL and PEAZLE have become so ubiquitous a method for laying the foundations of analytical writing with our students — showing understanding, selecting evidence and explaining the ‘effects’ of quotations — that for some learners, they can be representative of their whole English experience at secondary school. It’s easy to see why. … Continue reading What makes great analytical writing?→